Radio Issues on Tap at FCC in 2016

0

FCCdoorThe FCC has several open dockets left-over from 2015 that carryover into the New Year.


Issues like media ownership, EEO, indecency, political ads and EAS affect both television and radio.

But there are more that specifically affect radio that executives should be aware of should a violation impact an owner’s ability to buy or sell a station, for example.

Wilkinson Barker Knauer partner David Oxenford expects we’d see the rollout schedule of when radio stations need to upload their public file documents to the FCC-hosted Website. The commission is due to vote on this issue on the 28th.

The window to file to move FM translators up to 250-miles opens on the 29th. The agency will also implement the non-controversial technical facility rule changes to ease burdens for AM owners.

Thousands of new FM translator applications from 2013 that compete with others remain to be processed. Look for an auction for these final applications to be announced later this year, Oxenford predicts.

Remaining LPFM applications are likely to be processed this year, blogs Oxenford.